Another ruling Biju Janata Dal MLA has tested positive for Covid-19, taking the number of lawmakers infected by the virus to eight in Odisha.
Bhubaneswar (Central) MLA Ananta Narayan Jena on Thursday announced that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is on home quarantine.
"Feeling the Covid-19 symptoms, I got the test done & reported corona virus-positive, I am fine & home quarantined. Request that those who have come in my contact should isolate themselves & get tested," Jena said in the twitter post.
Five BJD MLAs S R Patnaik (Khandapada), Prasant Behera (Salipur), Srikant Sahu (Polsara), Sudhansu Sekhar Parida (Remuna) and Odisha Rural Development and Labour minister Susant Singh have earlier tested positive for Covid-19.
Two BJP lawmakers - Nilgiri MLA Sukanta Nayak and Bargarh MP Suresh Pujari - have also tested coronavirus positive.
On Wednesday, the swab test reports of two BJD leaders - Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) chairperson and BJD general secretary Srimayee Mishra and Odisha Small Industries Corporation chairperson Chinmoy Kumar Sahoo - tested positive for the infection.